You can bash me as much as you want but the video does not lie. when you see a strong competent climber soloing grade 2 gully they do not look like that and they certainly do not go over backwards trying to catch falling ice.

This is what happens to guys with lots of experience and over confidence...
Had 2 guys near Donner with 30 years experience die in ava's this year in the same weekend.It's easy to relaxed and over confident especially somewhere you have climbed numerous times before.. Watch your criticize...that might be you an some passive overconfident day..

No one is immune to a fall. the thing that got me going is obviously A. the go pro. 95% of the time we see a go pro ice climbing video it is a wreck. the way he holds his tools is a bit shaky. Not strong and confident the way you need to be if you are going to solo. The leaning back and trying to catch the ice trick is counter to everything a solid climber does in that situation. BTW you can be experienced yet not solid. Yes it is not cool to bash someone who gets hurt but on the other hand once you post the go pro footage it's open season;)

Waide, I don't think that guy was overconfident. I think he was just shaky plain and simple. In a decade he might get to overconfident...if he lives. But statistically, yes, those are both ends of the accident spectrum.

I'm not an ice climber so I can't judge the climber's wisdom or foolishness but here is an interview with the climber in question. He does not come off as a "wanker" or fool, read it and judge for yourself.

I read it as frustration with a culture more interested in showing their friends how bad ass they are, versus assessing an appropriate route based on skill and experience. But I got thick skin...

edit - woah, read the interview.

...Even though I’d been practising self arrest earlier in the month...

...If you had the day again, would you have done anything differently?
This is a difficult question. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I think I’d have preferred to have my technical axes rather than walking axes on the steeper harder ground.

Yup. The problem was definitely the axes. Return that sh#t to REI son, get yourself some 2013 Cobra's and a pair of five fingers!!!

#1 Never climb ice under annother party. I you want to solo with your best budd that is fine but stay side by side. Do not let one climber get far enough ahead of the next climber to let the dinner plates pick up speed. If the climb bottlenecks at a difficult section find a sheltered place and anchor yourself in if possible. If not possible or nessicary to anchor then bury your axes, hunker down and hide behind your pack and helmet.

#2 The handeling of the axes is shaky. Not solid. you need to be solid to solo. Climbing for a great number of years is no gaurentee that you are solid. There are folks who have never lead anything harder than 4 who are solid. There are also kids who have led 5+ and are completly sketchy. Only alive through blind luck. There are folks who have climbed for decades who are sketchy and folks who have only climbed a few years who are solid. Solid is a state of mind combined with good technique and competence. Some have it. Some do not.

#3 treat the snow sections of a gully climb with as much if not more respect than the ice sections. Solid ice is your friend. Snow is the white death.

#4 never solo with unfamiliar equiptment. It can add a full grade or more to the climb.

It's an awfully high horse you sit on isn't it. The guy made a mistake and got lucky. God forbid you ever make a similar mistake. This had nothing to do with strength. Parsley fern gully is shallow enough that you can stand in balance pretty much anywhere on it. It caught him by surprise and that really is the end of it. You can't always react the way the text book tells you to... Unless of course yourre you I.e. a superhero.